Let $M$ be a smooth closed (i.e., compact and without boundary) manifold. Let $TM$ and $T^\ast M$ denote the tangent and cotangent (vector) bundle of $M$, respectively. Denote $\Lambda^\cdot(T^\ast M)$ the complex exterior algebra bundle of $T^\ast M$ and $\Omega^\cdot(M,\C)=\Gamma(\Lambda^\cdot(T^\ast M))$ be the space of smooth sections of $\Lambda^\cdot(T^\ast M)$. Particularly, for any integer $p$ with $0\leq p\leq n=\dim M$, we denote by

$$\Omega^p(M)=\Gamma(\Lambda^p(T^\ast M))$$
be the space of smooth $p$-forms over $M$.
 
Between the $\Omega^\cdot(M,\C)$, we have an operator $\rm d$, i.e., the exterior differential operator, which maps a $p$-form to a $p+1$-form and with the property $\rm d^2=0$. Then, we obtain a complex chain $(\Omega^\cdot(M,\C),\rd)$

Define the $p$-th (complex coefficient) de Rham cohomology of $M$ as
$$H^p_{dR}(M,\C)=\frac{\ker\rd|_{\Omega^p(M,\C)}} {\rd(\Omega^{p-1}(M,\C))},$$
and the total de Rham cohomology of $M$ as
$$H^\ast_{dR}(M;\C)=\bigoplus_{p=0}^{\dim M}H_{dR}^p(M;\C).$$
Particularly, a form $\omega$ is called closed if $\rd\omega=0$; called exact if there exists an $\eta$ such that $\rd\eta=\omega$.

Apparently $H_{dR}^\ast(M;\C)$ is a vector space, since for any $\omega$, $\omega’\in\Omega^\ast(M;\C)$ (maybe one is $k$ form and other is $k’$ form), then we can verify the following equation holds
$$[a\omega]=a[\omega],\quad[\omega+\omega’]=[\omega]+[\omega’],$$
where $a$ is a constant function on $M$. With a litter more effort, we can prove that $H_{dR}^\ast(M;\C)$ is a ring. In fact, define
$$[\omega]\wedge[\omega’]=[\omega\wedge\omega’],$$
then for any two differential forms $\eta,\eta’$ on $M$, we have (note that $\rd\omega=0=\rd\omega’$)
$$\begin{align*} (\omega+\rd\eta)\wedge(\omega’+\rd\eta’) &=\omega\wedge\omega’+\omega\wedge\rd\eta’ +\rd\eta\wedge\omega’+\rd\eta\wedge\rd\eta’\\ &=\omega\wedge\omega’+\rd((-1)^{|\omega|}\omega\wedge\eta’ +\eta\wedge\omega’+\eta\wedge\rd\eta’), \end{align*}$$
which means
$$[\omega]\wedge[\omega’]=[\omega\wedge\omega’].$$
Moreover, $H^\ast_{dR}(M;\C)$ is superexchange, i.e.,
$$[\omega]\wedge[\eta] =(-1)^{|\omega|\cdot|\eta|}[\eta]\wedge[\omega].$$

When $\dim M=n=4m$, consider $H_{dR}^{2m}(M;\C)$, then for any $[\omega]$, $[\eta]\in H_{dR}^{2m}(M;\C)$ we have

$$[\omega]\wedge[\eta]=[\eta]\wedge[\omega].$$
Define a bi-linear operator $< \cdot,\cdot>$ on $H_{dR}^{2m}(M;\C)$ as
$$< [\omega],[\eta]>=\int_M\omega\wedge\eta.$$
we can prove that $< \cdot,\cdot>$ is a non-singular quadric on $H_{dR}^{2m}(M;\C)$ and its signature is a topological invariants, called the characteristic number of $M$.

Now, we state the de Rham theory without proof (for the proof cf. [1]).